IBM Partner Pavilion 6400 - Manual (Page 13)

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IBM 6400 Printer
About this setup guide
This manual covers the configuration and
operation of the Coax/Twinax Multi-Platform
Interface (MPI) feature for the IBM 6400
Line Matrix Printers.
The MPI feature enables either coax
attachment of the 6400 printer to, for
example, a S/370 or S/390 host, or twinax
attachment of the printer in an AS/400 or
Systems 3X environment.
In addition, the parallel port of the printer is
available for attachment to a PC, Network
Print Server, or other device attaching
through the PC parallel port.
What does the MPI feature do? The MPI
acts as a protocol converter, taking coax or
twinax data streams and translating them
into an ASCII data stream that the 6400
printer parallel ASCII port is set up to
handle. As you install and configure the
MPI, you are defining the translation that is
performed.
The MPI feature will normally already be
installed in the printer. If it is not, then
follow the hardware installation instructions
found in Appendix D.
Once the MPI feature is installed, begin its
configuration with the instructions on page
2.
Switching between Serial ASCII and Parallel ASCII
To switch between Serial ASCII and
Parallel ASCII, the operator must
reconfigure the printer interface selection
from the operator panel by selecting a
custom set that uses the correct ASCII
interfaces. This is because the MPI
interface communicates through the
Parallel ASCII port.